THE EFFECTS OF ABSENCE CULTURE ON INDIVIDUAL ABSENCE

This field study provided empirical evidence for the effects of absenc e culture on individual absenteeism among employees (N = 264) within l ive clerical units. Absence culture was derived from the aggregation o f an individual-level measure of the beliefs about the perceived costs (i.e., deterrent outcomes) and benefits (i.e., encouraging outcomes) of being absent from work. It was hypothesized that these individual b eliefs about absence could be aggregated meaningfully to the unit leve l. In addition, it was hypothesized that absence culture would explain a significant amount of variance in individual absence beyond the eff ects of demographics and general work attitudes. Paid and unpaid absen ce data for the 3-month period following collection of the beliefs mea sures were collected from organizational records. This study demonstra ted support for the existence of an absence culture and its impact on individual absence. Implications for managing absence and suggestions for future research are discussed.